Snaggletooth

23 February

The options are endless when it comes to grab ‘n go food.

Looking for a salad? Chances are you can grab one at your nearest convenience store. Want a sandwich? There are shops on almost every corner. You could probably even get a cup of soup while you’re there. Don’t even get me started on coffee! There’s just one favorite food item of mine that’s missing: fish. When the mood strikes, I either have to buy it in the form of groceries or make a reservation at some top tier restaurant. Let’s be honest, though. Who wants to go through all that hassle? Can’t I just swing into a local joint during my Saturday morning walk and grab a quick bite to eat?

Well, now I can! Snaggletooth is a new spot in Lakeview, right at Ashland and Southport. This quaint, counter service, seafood-centered restaurant gives a nod to the delis our grandparents used to frequent, having originated from a mutual love for the Midwest. I mean, if you think about it, this city loves and it loves hard: our people, our sports, and especially our food. Snaggletooth is on a mission to bring straightforward, approachable seafood to Chicago and to recreate those simple, yet important connections to the food we eat, the community we serve, and the city we respect.

Each fish is brought in whole and then scaled, cleaned, trimmed, and fileted in house. All of the aromatics and herbs are also hand-chopped, while the sides are meticulously wrapped in cheesecloth and dry-cured. Once everything is good to go, they’re then hand-sliced. Is it a slow and methodical process? Of course, but it makes such a huge difference. Trust me when I say that you’ve never had anything like this before. I’m serious!

In addition to their wheelhouse of delicious food, Snaggletooth also works alongside two gurus in the tea and coffee industry. Rod Markus from Rare Tea Cellar provides a rotating selection of loose leaf, herbals, and tisanes from around the globe. Chris Chacko of Sparrow Coffee Roastery is curating a phenomenal coffee menu specifically for Snaggletooth. If there’s one man in this city who truly knows the finest details of coffee, it’s this man.

It’s easy to fall in love with Snaggletooth. After just one bite (and one sip), that’s exactly what happened – hook, line, and sinker.